Learning a new parenting language
When our children are angry, dysregulated and upset, it can be difficult to know what to say to diffuse things.
ADOPTION AND PARENTING MAGAZINE
Menu
When our children are angry, dysregulated and upset, it can be difficult to know what to say to diffuse things.
One of my biggest worries as an adoptive parent is not being able to support our daughters in the way
I started We Made a Wish as a blog, sharing our journey as adopters. For me, it was an avenue
This article of the year is a very honest interview with Sammy, a birth mum. Her daughter was taken into
Introduce yourself and your family I am Tommy, my wife is Louise and we have a 12-year-old daughter Freya, and
A key part of the adoption process is to listen to those who have been through the process whether that’s
The next interview sharing adoption journeys is with Ashleigh. She tells us about her and her partner’s experience of the
The theme for this year’s National Adoption Week is “The Journey” sharing and reflecting on the adoption journey and those
Getting the right support for our children is key if we want them to thrive and reach for the stars.
This interview is with Kelly who’s been a foster carer for over 14 years. I’m really pleased Kelly has taken
Today’s article is written by @mrsbear89. She shares with us her battle with chronic pain caused by endometriosis and her journey
I love discovering new books, particularly when they’re about adoption. I came across this month’s book as a result of
Adoption is complicated and every story is unique which is one of the reasons why I started the magazine so
This interview with Melissa was first published in November 2019. She is a mum of two children affected by attachment
Do you have what it takes to adopt a sibling group? Almost half the children currently waiting to be placed
Today’s article is written by Sarah, sharing her experience of adopting siblings. She describes a bit about her journey to
Life story work and contact with birth family is such an important part of the adoption process. But it’s definitely
Having a massage is something a lot of parents use as a means of relaxing, switching off from their day,
The second article about post-adoption support is another Q & A about one family’s experience of asking for help. Their
Post-adoption support is exactly what the name suggests. It’s help and support which is provided to adopted children and their
When we started to consider adoption, I scoured the internet for stories from adopters sharing their experiences. I wanted to
Parents who have their children removed from their care are among the most vulnerable in our society. They often have
This week’s interview about contact and life story work is with birth mum Sammy. I’m really grateful she’s agreed to
This week’s contact and life story interview is with Hayley. She shares how she and her husband manage contact and
People decide to create their family through adoption for a variety of reasons. Some have never tried to have a
The next series of interviews is about contact and life story work. Knowing about their birth history and learning to
I started this magazine to share experiences of adoption and raise awareness of the realities of the process, and parenting
Having an accurate and age-appropriate life storybook is really important to help our children understand their birth history. The standard
One of the reasons I started the magazine was to be able to give a voice to anyone who wanted
Parenting doesn’t come with a manual. Often, we parent the way we were parented ourselves, with the odd tweak here
Today’s article is written by Tilly. She’s an adoptee and shares an extremely honest account of her childhood. As an
Adoption disruption isn’t something that’s talked about very much. We didn’t cover it on any of our preparation training or
Adoption disruption is when a placement breaks down and the child is taken into care again by the local authority.
It’s a complete honour to reshare this Q&A with you. It’s with Darcy and Ellie (the names they use in
Meeting your child for the first time during adoption introductions is a whole mix of emotions. Logistically, it can be
This adoption introductions interview is with Laura who shares her experience of meeting her son. How old was your child when
This interview with Rosie was first published in January 2020. She’s mum to four children and shares her experience of
This adoption matching interview with Matt and Will was first published in May 2020. In it, they share how they
In this matching interview, S shares her experience of finding out about her daughter and having a virtual matching panel
This interview is with Jessica who shares her journey to meeting her daughter. You can follow Jessica’s story on Instagram
The adoption triangle is made up of birth parents, adoptees and adopters. We’re getting a lot better at listening to
The words and language we use when we speak to someone can affect how that person feels about you and
Books are a great way of learning about any subject. Whatever stage of your adoption journey you’re at, there’s always
When you’ve decided you’d like to try and make a birth child, you don’t have to go on any courses
The Covid-19 pandemic changed our lives in so many different ways. Social distancing meant a lot of things have moved
This interview is with Christina sharing her journey to meeting her utterly amazing daughter. Introduce yourself and your family I’m
If you’re thinking about adoption, this article gives you an overview of the process and what’s involved. It’s written by
Are we too old for adoption or becoming parents? These are questions my husband and I asked ourselves a lot,
One of the many myths about who can apply to adopt is that you have to be married or in
Every October, National Adoption week highlights certain issues either relating to the process or the children waiting to be matched.
Next in the series of adoption stories shared by Coram is Rebecca and Andy’s experience. They are both aged 46
Our daughters are growing up knowing they’re adopted. Our eldest has known for a few years that she didn’t grow
The next in the series of adoption stories shared by Coram is Anthony. He is a 21-year-old university student, who
Adoption first became a legal order in England in 1926. Since then, the legislation and process have changed immeasurable to
Most of the books I review in the magazine are non-fiction books because there aren’t that many novels about adoption.
Introduce yourself and your family Me – mummy, daddy, and our daughter who is now two. My husband has two
Today is World Menopause Day. Awareness about menopause, its symptoms and treatment options are still subjects that aren’t talked about
If you’ve been a reader of the magazine for a while, you’ll know how much I love using books to
Mind reports that 1 in 4 people in the UK experience a mental health problem each year. Around 3 in
This interview is with a couple who share their experience of matching and how they found out about their son.
We only went through the matching process with our eldest daughter as our local authority approached us about our youngest.
This week’s interview continues the matching series. Here the family share how matching worked for them and how they found
This week’s interview is the first in a series about matching where adopters will share their experience of the process
The best way adopters can learn how to help their children manage some of the issues they may face as
Foster carers are amazing. They open their hearts and their homes to children who are vulnerable, traumatised and in need
When we started our adoption journey, there weren’t many children’s books about that explained the process. The ones I did
Over the last almost three years, I’ve been honoured to be able to share so many adoption stories with you.
In my work life, I’d heard the term post box contact used a lot well before we adopted. In my
Adopting through early permanence is where a child is placed with adopters who are also approved as foster carers. That
Since the magazine started in 2019, I’ve published almost 200 articles from adoption stories, to parenting advice and book reviews.
I love doing reviews of new adoption books. There’s so many more books available now than when we started our
One of the lovely things about running the magazine has been to find out about some wonderful books and resources
This article is the second from Sarah Almond, sharing some of the highs and lows of her family’s adoption journey,
Today’s interview is the first half of two pieces by Sarah Almond. In this piece, she shares her journey to
In this interview, Gareth shares how he and his wife met their son. I love how he describes his best
This interview is with Rosemary Lucas was first published back in October 2019. Rosemary’s written a lovely picture book The
The next Small Business Spotlight features the wonderful Mumaduke designs. Created by Zoe, mum to an amazing little boy Cub,
I wrote this post not long after the court proceedings for youngest were concluded. This part of the process is
I first published this piece back in January 2018. I think one of the hardest things about becoming a parent
Next up in the “Small Business Spotlight” is Holly Marlow, author and creator of some beautiful adoption notebooks. One of
Christmas can be an amazing time, particularly if you have kids. The excitement and anticipation fuelled by magic and sparkle
Fostering to adopt usually means a child is placed with adopters straight from hospital. The adopters are also approved foster
First published July 2017 It’s funny how we attach so many memories to objects or clothing. We’ve recently bought little
“Delly Duck: Why A Little Chick Couldn’t Stay With His Birth Mother” is a beautifully illustrated children’s story book, explaining
This week’s blog is written by Scottish Adoption Teen Ambassador Arran. He’s written about reclaiming his identity and using his
The second blog from Scottish Adoption Teen Ambassador Chloe is called “A Study in Adoption”. It gives food for thought about
This interview with Mr E was first published in February 2020 when he and his wife are waiting to start
This interview with Rebecca and Jon was first published in April 2020. In it, they share their journey to finding
This interview with C was first published in February 2020. The interview is a beautiful, honest account of how he
This interview with Ali was first published in December 2019. You can follow her on Instagram @thefizzykids and her shop
Introduce yourself and your family Hi my names Chris and I live with my partner Ricky and our newly adopted
Melissa and her husband adopted two sisters. Her Instagram account @us2rabbitandmoo gives an honest account of the highs and lows
Thank you to @mamaandbabycurls for this wonderful insight into her journey to becoming a mum. As a single adopter, she
This interview was first published in October 2019. @suddenlymummyat40ish shares her experience as a single adopter who’s mum to a
A big thank you to Keri for this wonderfully honest article about post adoption depression. It’s something that happens a
One of the main worries people have about starting the adoption process is that it’s going to take a long
The #ukadoptioncommunity on Instagram is full of wonderful, supportive accounts. The community has grown considerably over the last few months
There are two types of adoption in England. The first is the traditional route where a child is only placed
In her second article for the magazine, Peggy Galamez shares with us how being adopted has shaped how she parents
The next agency to feature in our spotlight is ARC Adoption North East. They’re an “Outstanding” Independent Voluntary Adoption Agency
In an ideal world, there’d be no need for adoption. All adults would have the skills to be able to
This week I’m sharing our experience of contact and life story work. I’ve written a few articles over the last
This month’s book review is something a bit different. Inconvenient Daughter is a novel written by Lauren J Sharkey about
This week’s interview is with Keri who shares her journey to meet her son. You can follow her on Instagram
This week’s interview is with Caroline. She shares her journey to meeting her son over 20 years ago. Caroline is
This week’s interview is with David. He’s at the start of the assessment process and shares with us how he’s
If you celebrate Christmas, it can be a magical time of year. I love the build up, picking gifts and
When my husband and I started our adoption journey, I struggled to find books written by adopters sharing their experience
This week’s interview is with Lynsay telling us all about her family’s journey to meeting their boys. You can follow
This week’s interview is with Aimee. You can follow her on Instagram @aimeevlog and she has a brilliant YouTube Vlog
This week’s interview is with Laura. You can follow her on Instagram @lc.kc and her blog which details her journey
This weeks interview is with Helen who’s a single adopter living in the South West of England. Introduce yourself and
This week’s interview is with Elena Holmes. She’s written this book about her journey as an adoptive mum and you can
In this second article from Adopt North East, they explain why post box contact is so important. They also detail
Mrs Reed Warbler | Navigating adoption as me and the missus grow our forever family with Little Chick Introduce yourself
Welcome Hello and welcome to the first edition of We Made a Wish online adoption magazine. It’s purpose is to
Emma Sutton and her husband Andy adopted a sibling group of two. Their daughter is now nine and their son
Would you read an adoption magazine? There isn’t anything like it available in the UK. Somewhere to share stories, resources
I love Facebook. Probably not for the same reason that most people do. My love of Facebook is because of
Forced adoption is a term that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It’s a term
